Photo Courtesy Tracey Tong
But as a working writer, editor and teacher and wife and mother of two heavily scheduled little girls, even I can get stretched too thin — and that’s when doubts start to creep in.
Why can’t I find more time to sleep? Our house isn’t as tidy as it should be. I don’t leave for work looking as polished as I’d like. I volunteer for three different organizations (each one important to me) but don’t feel that I’m giving each role my 100 percent.
Everything starts to lose its colour.
It’s only after I’ve had a chance to rest and nurture my creativity that I can begin to appreciate my world for how beautiful it is.
Life is incredibly busy for all of us, more so than in our parents’ generation. Our expectations for ourselves are high. In hopes of reminding you of all the wonderful people, places and spaces in our Ottawa, we’re proud to bring you our Spring 2025 issue: It’s a beautiful life (because it really is).
Thank you to the artist members of Art Lending of Ottawa for sharing their vision of making beauty more accessible to all through an affordable original art rental program, the first of its kind in the city.
Sheryl Bennett-Wilson spoke with folks at The Good Companions, Ottawa Art Gallery and humour educator Lawrence Marks on inspiration and creative opportunities for older adults. The Happiness Formula’s Kita Szpak reminds us that the cool thing about beauty is that it’s in the eye of the beholder.
In this issue’s Memoirs of a New Dad, longtime humour columnist Chris Hunt switches gears, getting serious as he reveals the impact of a health scare on his life while Jon Willing (happily) watches the world go by on a weekend morning, in his pyjamas, with a coffee in hand.
The world may not be particularly pretty right now. Life is challenging, unpredictable and downright uncertain for a lot of people, which means stress. Just remember that you’re not alone and that there are people willing to listen. Life isn’t meant to be pristine. It’s about shifting plans and moving parts and making the best decisions based on the information you have at the time. It’s about digging in up to your elbows, seizing the moment, opening yourself to joy and embracing it all. Life is like a Jackson Pollock — messy, but precious and beautiful.
Tracey